Many machines used in the construction, earth moving, mining or similar industries use an endless articulated track that is powered by a motor for moving in a work environment. Tracks used by such machines often have a track chain with shoes attached to it that provide traction on work surfaces such as soil, sand, etc. The joints of the articulated track may have a cartridge assembly that includes a number of parts including a track pin, a bushing, seal assemblies, one or more bearing members, one or more collars, and a thrust ring that is positioned adjacent a seal assembly and that prevents movement of components near the seal assembly from crushing the assembly along a longitudinal direction of the track pin.
In some cases, the track pin is either rotatably or fixedly attached to a pair of chain links and the bushing is rotatably disposed about the track pin in between the chain links. As can be imagined, the cartridge assembly is subjected to high loads during operation. Sometimes, these loads are at least partially directed along the longitudinal direction of the track pin. It has been found that over time, the thrust ring may become chipped or exhibit other forms of wear, necessitating replacement of the thrust ring requiring machine maintenance and lost revenue. Thrust rings that are made using a powered metal sintering process are particularly prone to develop these problems.